The invention relates to an expelling mechanism, including a discharge valve, for use in connection with discharge tubes and drain tubes of submarines for ejecting a weapon by means of compressed gas, which is supplied thereto through associated containers for the compressed gas, and wherein the expelling mechanism may be controlled through control means, an outlet opening is increased during the gas discharge process, and the gas velocity passing through the opening may be controlled.
In mechanisms of this type, which are also known from No. DE-31-22631 a problem exists, namely how to implement not only the opening function, but in addition how to obtain a controlling function, so as to eject the weapons to be expelled at a predetermined velocity at any immersion depth. It is already known to open the main discharge valve of the expelling mechanism at different respective velocities, which are adjustable, and can be matched to the respective immersion depth, for example, to attain a low velocity at a low immersion depth, but a high velocity at a great immersion depth. Consequently the compressed gas stored in the expelling mechanism can escape slowly in the case of low immersion depths, but quickly in the case of considerable immersion depths, so as to equalize the loss of any displacement volume due to the immersion depth.